"The high note is not the only thing"
About this Quote
Domingo’s line reads like a gentle rebuke delivered in a rehearsal room: stop fetishizing the one flashy moment and start respecting the whole performance. Coming from an operatic superstar, it lands with extra bite because opera culture is famously addicted to “the high note” as a kind of athletic proof of greatness - the clip-worthy peak audiences wait to applaud before the aria is even over. Domingo is pointing at that hunger and, quietly, refusing to feed it.
The intent is practical: a reminder that artistry is cumulative. Breath, legato, diction, acting choices, timing with the conductor, the emotional arc of a phrase - these are the things that make a note mean something rather than merely happen. The subtext is also a defense of the working musician’s craft against a marketplace that prizes stunts. In an era of highlights, arias become content, and content rewards the spectacular. “Not the only thing” is a plea for proportion.
There’s an autobiographical edge, too. Domingo built a reputation not just for ringing climaxes but for character: he moved between roles, languages, even voice types, and sustained a long career where interpretive intelligence mattered as much as vocal fireworks. The line is also a sly comment on masculine bravura in singing - the temptation to treat the voice like a trophy rather than a storytelling instrument.
He’s not dismissing the high note; he’s demoting it. The point isn’t to lower standards, but to relocate excellence from a single peak to the terrain leading up to it.
The intent is practical: a reminder that artistry is cumulative. Breath, legato, diction, acting choices, timing with the conductor, the emotional arc of a phrase - these are the things that make a note mean something rather than merely happen. The subtext is also a defense of the working musician’s craft against a marketplace that prizes stunts. In an era of highlights, arias become content, and content rewards the spectacular. “Not the only thing” is a plea for proportion.
There’s an autobiographical edge, too. Domingo built a reputation not just for ringing climaxes but for character: he moved between roles, languages, even voice types, and sustained a long career where interpretive intelligence mattered as much as vocal fireworks. The line is also a sly comment on masculine bravura in singing - the temptation to treat the voice like a trophy rather than a storytelling instrument.
He’s not dismissing the high note; he’s demoting it. The point isn’t to lower standards, but to relocate excellence from a single peak to the terrain leading up to it.
Quote Details
| Topic | Music |
|---|
More Quotes by Placido
Add to List
